KEY POINTS:
The former SAS soldier from Napier held in a Lebanese jail since December for his role in an international child custody dispute has been released.
David Pemberton, 40, and Australian Brian Corrigan, 38, walked free from Beirut's Roumieh prison over night and were awaiting deportation, said David's brother John this morning.
"We were informed this morning that they were at the airport awaiting deportation. It's fantastic news."
The pair were allegedly part of a five-man team hired by Canadian woman Melissa Hawach to snatch back her two daughters from their father Joseph.
She had launched legal action against her estranged husband's family in Sydney last year after her daughters, Hannah, 5, and Cedar, 3, disappeared while holidaying with their father.
But, in December, with the help of a group of five former special forces men, Ms Hawach found her daughters at a Beirut hotel carpark. The girls were taken from the hotel, where they had been staying with their father, and smuggled out of Lebanon. Ms Hawach has since returned with the girls to Canada.
Pemberton and Corrigan were caught at the airport trying to leave the country in the aftermath, and were facing child abduction charges and a possible three-year prison term.
But the charges were reduced to obstructing justice, and the pair were granted bail last Friday.
The Pemberton family - including David's partner Dawn, who lives in Hawke's Bay - have been anticipating their release ever since but were reluctant to get excited until they knew he was out.
"It's been a long drawn out process, so now it's confirmed and we can relax," John Pemberton said.
"The obstruction charge still stands, but without going through that process they just decided to deport them.
"I don't think they would have chosen to stay."
He said his brother was a strong person who had handled captivity better than Corrigan.
"David's spirits have been reasonably good, as good as can be expected, and he's had no harm to his health. Mentally, he's pretty tough. As long as he knew his family was alright, he was able to cope."
Unlike the Corrigan family, he said he had not been in touch with Ms Hawach.
"Melissa Hawach is a side story for us, just like David's a side story for them. Our focus was on David."
